1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



551 



energy in the super. This is too apparent for 

 mistake. I account for it in this wise. In a 

 ten-frame hive there is seldom any brood in the 

 two outside combs. This leaves eight. There 

 is also about one comb of pollen. If the pollen 

 is scattered it is all the same — seven combs of 

 brood. Apply the same deduction to the eight- 

 frame hive, and it leaves five combs for broo3. 

 Allowing 1)2 inches to the comb, and measur- 

 ing the lateral diameter of the brood-sphere, it 

 is'7}4 inches, with a frame length of 17 inches. 

 Now, the ten-frame hive exceeds the eight- 

 frame, not by the two segments of the sphere's 

 edge, like the slabs which are sawn from the 

 log, but it is equal to two complete and square 

 planks from the heart of the log. Two such 

 combs of brood should enhance the strength of 

 the colony one-half instead of one-fourth, as 

 might at first be supposed. 



The disproportionate length of frame may 

 not cut so prominent a figure in a Southern Cal- 

 ifornia climate as in some of the colder lati- 

 tudes—Colorado, for instance. In Colorado the 

 nights, even late in spring, are cold. Then the 

 middle of the days are very sunny and warm. 

 When the hives face the south, the sun beats 

 against the end so that it draws the brood up 

 against the south end -bars of the frames, so 

 that even the corners are all filled compactly 

 with brood. I have seen brood so far to the 

 south in eight combs, that, if six inches of 

 the north ends of the combs were cut out, not a 

 cell of brood would be disturbed. In Wisconsin 

 there are more clouds during the days, and the 

 days and nights are nearer of the same temper- 

 ature. When two colonies were placed side by 

 side with an inch of pressed chaflf between the 

 hives, the brood in each colony occupied the 

 side of the hive nearest its neighbor. In this 

 case the side combs contained brood on both 

 sides, and more in quantity than any other 

 combs in the hives. This happened on a cold 

 unfavorable spring. The remote sides of the 

 hives were unprotected from the inclement 

 weather. If the brood will be placed far away 

 from the cold end of a Colorado hive, why 

 would it not be placed as far as possible from 

 all four sides of the Wisconsin hive? 



When the two frames are taken out of the 

 ten-frame hive it has the effect to form a brood- 

 chamber which is longer or slimmer in effect, 

 than the original ten-frame chamber because 

 of the squeezing or narrowing up of the brood- 

 sphere. In other words, and in consideration 

 of climates, kinds of weather, and different sea- 

 sons, there is less consequence in how much 

 space is taken away from a hive than in how it 

 is taken away. Working against the natural 

 tendency involves expenditure of heat and en- 

 ergy. 



Had there not remained a broodless space in 

 the ends of the combs of the ten-frame hive, 

 the eight-frame hive would have never sug- 

 gested itself. Nearly every one who went down 



to the eight-frames has wished himself back 

 again. Instead of lessening the number of 

 frames, why not try the same number of less 

 length? I have kept bees from a bread-and- 

 butter standpoint in Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, 

 and California, and have found the hive from 

 which I never expect to change. Climates and 

 localities do not affect its utility. It is the 

 crossway Langstroth of ten frames, and 2020 

 cubic inches. The eight-frame L. contains 

 2100, and my nine-frame Gallup hive 1980 cubic 

 inches. The eight-frame L. is large enough, 

 but it is out of shape. After using ten 13>^- 

 inch frames to the hive for three seasons I am 

 sure that the colonies become just as populous 

 as with the 17^ frame. It is calculated that 

 food shall be stored in the ends of the long 

 frames. In the short frame there is not. If I 

 wished a brood-chamber to contain stores be- 

 sides the brood, there would need to be 13 

 frames. 



For winter, or for an abundance of stores at 

 any time, a half-depth story remains on the 

 hive, and nearly the whole supply of honey is 

 kept in it. They very readily enter and refill a 

 receptacle from which they are accustomed to 

 obtaining their daily rations. The brood- 

 chamber is 14i^ inches square, and it is 14% 

 inches from the bottom-board of the hive to the 

 top of the super, forming almost a perfect cube. 



With the super there is always a good sup- 

 ply of stores, always a receptacle to catch a 

 small run of surplus, and the surplus-recepta- 

 cles are brought very close to the brood. I use 

 two half-depth supers for extracting, so when 

 one is being emptied there will remain one up- 

 on the hive. 



I have arrived at this 2000 cubic inches ca- 

 pacity of the brood-chamber from two different 

 starting-points in the last 13 years, while Mr. 

 B. Taylor has occupied 45 years, and is not 

 quite there yet. His frame is 8% inches deep. 

 Had it been 8X inches, a wide frame of the 

 same dimensions might accommodate two rows 

 of 43^ sections. I should like to know of the 

 advantages of that 3^-inch. 



I did not expect to keep bees when I came to 

 California; but the ease with which they could 

 be managed induced me to start with 43 col- 

 onies in the spring of 1893. Since that I have 

 purchased none, but have disposed of (by sale 

 and trade) 120 full colonies, and produced 12,000 

 pounds of honey, and am now extracting from 

 125 colonies. 



Florence, Cal., June 25. 



[And here is still another in the same channel: 



ALWAYS GETS AT LEAST 200 LBS., EXTRACTED. 

 WITH A SMALL HIVE. 



I want to say a word in favor of small hives. 

 I never fail to get more than 200 lbs. of extract- 

 ed honey from my small hive. I commence 

 extracting between the first and fifteenth of 

 May, and continue until the last of July. I ex- 



